


domestic life was never quite my style

by bughaw



Category: Buhay Kolehiyo, SSU, Sexy Sexy Universities
Genre: M/M, Single Dad AU, past Neo/Mia, rated T bc of potty mouths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-28 05:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11410830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bughaw/pseuds/bughaw
Summary: Salle just wanted a break. He hadn't intended on meeting Mia's old flame and slowly falling in love with him and their kid.





	domestic life was never quite my style

**Author's Note:**

> hello yes writing a child character is difficult  
> i hope you enjoy this i might update this weekend, we'll see  
> hopefully i can also post the next oneshot set in my helpless verse soon  
> please do point out if you notice any mistakes that I missed, i'll make sure to fix it :)

Salle heaved a sigh of relief as he entered the nondescript coffee shop. He had had a taxing week and had snuck off to get a breather and hadn’t anticipated the crowd of teenage girls waiting outside the area where his shoot for the day was being held. As much as he loved his fans, they were almost always loud and obnoxious, and he would have snapped at them if he hadn’t remembered what Mia told him about keeping up a positive image. So, he strained a smile and kept his mouth shut, and told the young ladies that he was out on an errand and had no time to take pictures with them. Of course, that hadn’t worked, and they pushed and pushed, until Salle had no choice but to break free from the crowd and run away from multiple screaming girls.

 

Now, he glanced over his shoulder to see if any of the girls saw him entering the establishment, if only to soothe his paranoia, and couldn’t help but heave another sigh, this one of relief, when he saw that no one was behind him. He ordered a latte at the counter and took a seat while waiting for his name to be called. His phone vibrated in his pocket once more, with it having done so all throughout his escape attempt from his rabid fangirls, so he took it out and groaned at the amount of messages left by Mia and his manager.

 

 _‘I’ll come back in an hour :)’_ he sent to both of them, and proceeded to turn his phone off so he wouldn’t be disturbed during his much needed break. A clunk sounded and he looked up as the barista placed a small tray on his table. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear my name get called,” he informed the guy. Spotting a plate of sandwich with the coffee, he spoke up once again. “And you might have the wrong person. I only ordered a latte.”

 

The barista’s face turned red, and Salle would have snorted if he had less self-control. “It’s on the house,” the guy informed him in a quiet voice, and Salle had to give him kudos for not stuttering. Channeling his model side, Salle smiled charmingly and thanked him. The guy stayed for a little while longer, Salle pretending not to notice as he sipped as his latte and looked out the shop, and he would have stayed longer to see if Salle would pay more attention to him had it not been for a co-working pulling him away so he can resume his post.

 

Salle sighed once more, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought of how absurd it would be if he lost weight from all the sighing he’d been doing all week. He took a sip of his drink and almost choked on it when a hand tugged on the old university jacket he was wearing. He briefly mourned the spillage caused by him setting the cup down as he coughed, before turning to the person who had tried to get his attention. He had expected the barista to be back, possibly wanting to know if he would have the time to go out, as Salle expected from such interactions, and not a child with wide blue eyes staring at him.

 

“Uh,” Salle muttered out, bug-eyed as he stared back at the kid. He looked up in hopes of spotting the kid’s parents but none of the patrons of the coffee shop looked old enough to be so. He almost pouted as he realized that his alone time was ruined, but decided it would be too childish of him to do so. Instead, he opted to pick up the kid and settle him on his lap. The kid clambered to stand up unsteadily on Salle’s lap, and after seeing the shoe marks on his white khakis, Salle resigned himself to his fate of being an impromptu babysitter until the kid’s parents find them both. He could only wish that he won’t be accused of trying to kidnap the kid, since that would be the complete opposite of what he needs to keep his career afloat.

 

Salle was startled out of his reverie when the child pulled on his hair and shoved it in his mouth. For the umpteenth time that day, Salle sighed before chiding the toddler in his arms as he slowly removed the strands of hair from his grip. “Don’t do that,” the reply he received was a wide smile before the child started shrieking in what sounded to be joy.

 

“Hey, hey, shh, don’t do that,” Salle tried to shush the child after seeing multiple patrons glance their way. He couldn’t have them finding out who he was, that was just a disaster waiting to happen. Shifting to get to the plate of food on the table, he broke off a small piece and held it up to the child. “Do you want this?” The child took the bread and shoved it in his mouth.

 

“Uh, pardon, but who are you?” someone said, making both Salle and the child look up. The child wiggled in Salle’s arms after shouting “Da!” so Salle put him down and watched as he ran up to the man standing parallel to Salle’s table. The guy bent down and picked the toddler up, wincing as his face was touched by wet fingers. Salle gestured to the seat opposite his after seeing the guy struggle to maneuver himself to get to the bag hanging from his shoulder. “I’m so sorry for this,” the guy smiled apologetically to which Salle responded with a shrug.

 

“Nah, it’s fine, no harm done,” Salle smiled, the corners of his mouth dropping a bit as he remembered some parts of his hair soaked by saliva. He watched the guy rummage through the bag before procuring a small towel. Salle watched as he wiped the kid’s hands.

 

Salle watched the interaction after noticing that the two paid him no mind. The guy chided his child in a soft tone, which Salle thought kinda ruined the whole point of scolding him in the first place, while the child giggled in delight as his father patted his face down. The thought of the guy looking too young to be a father passed his mind briefly before he was distracted by the fond look that flitted on the guy’s face.

 

The guy pressed kisses on his kid’s face before he stopped after noticing that Salle was watching. His face reddened, and he coughed if only to save face. “I apologize for Theo. I dropped some of his things and he just ran off,” he said, rearranging Teddy on his lap.

 

Salle waved him off. Sure his impromptu break was sort of ruined, but he couldn’t really fault the pair for that. “It’s fine, it’s fine, no harm done,” he smiled in what he hoped to be a charming way. It wasn’t difficult by any means, and the fact that the guy was attractive didn’t aid at all. Of course not.

 

“I’m Neo,” the guy introduces, extending a hand across the table. “I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you.”

 

Salle shook his hand. “I told you, it’s fine. Theo’s very…” He glanced at the stain on his pants and grimaced. “He’s charming,” He hoped that Neo didn’t catch his expression, but the frown on his face said otherwise.

 

“We were just about to go for lunch, would you like to join us? My treat, to make up for what Theo did,” Neo gestured to his son, who was busy playing with his father’s fingers.

 

“Uh.”

 

“You looked like you’re in no hurry to go anywhere so I insist, really. I can’t in good conscience let you leave without making up to you.”

 

“Sige, uh, I mean sure,” Salle stumbled. Neo had a way with words, and it didn’t help that Salle was smitten with Theo. He couldn’t help it, the kid was adorable.

 

Neo smiled triumphantly then gathered their belongings. He stood up and waited for Salle to do the same. Salle wiped up the spilled coffee with some tissue before they left the coffee shop. “Do you have an idea what you’d like to eat?” Neo asked as they walked leisurely, seeing as Theo wanted to walk instead of being carried. Salle put on his sunglasses and shoved his hands into his pockets before shrugging.

 

“I’m aight with anything, not really allergic to anything,” he glanced at Theo who was busy looking at his surroundings. “Maybe we should ask Theo?”

 

Salle looked up and barely caught the look of amusement on Neo’s face. Neo nodded then bent down to catch Theo’s attention. “What would you like to eat, baby?” he asked softly, pulling on Theo’s arm to dislodge the fingers that he had shoved in his mouth. He pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped Theo’s fingers.

 

“Want waffles,” Theo replied, his face scrunching up when Neo pinched his cheek.

 

“We just had waffles this morning,” Neo frowned. “Maybe something else?”

 

Theo directed his gaze to Salle, a pout on his lips. “Waffles, please.”

 

Salle blinked a few times, glancing between Neo who was shaking his head and Theo who looked near tears. “I’m g with waffles, to be honest. Breakfast food for lunch sounds great,” he said, giving in. Theo’s face lit up just as Neo sighed.

 

Neo opened his arms, indicating to Theo that he was gonna carry him. The kid might have decided to give what his father wanted for once and let himself be carried. “I can’t believe you gave in,” he looked at Salle disapprovingly. Salle raised his hands in surrender.

 

“Dude, have you seen your kid? Anybody would give in.”

 

Neo snorted then shook his head. They headed to Pancake House and seated themselves. Just as the waiter was handing them their menus, Neo asked, “Is it alright if Theo’s mother joins us? I promised that we would meet her today,”

 

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

 

“You’re pretty easy-going,” Neo pointed out as he was pulling out something from the bag that he was carrying. Turns out it was a bib, and he hastily put it on Theo who was going through the menu ask if he could read it.

 

“What can I say, I’m pretty chill guy.”

 

Neo blinked at him a few times, a deadpan look on his face, before he snorted and shook his head. “If you say so.” He looked as if he wanted to say something more but he was cut off by a phone ringing. Neo pulled his from the pocket of the bag and answered the call. Salle watched as he conversed with the person on the other end, a smile forming on his lips.

 

When Neo caught him staring, Salle decided that he would help Theo with his menu to look less creepy as what he appeared to be at the moment. He tried to tune out Neo’s conversation with Theo’s babbling. A few more minutes passed before Neo ended the call.

 

“Who was that?” Salle asked before he remembered his manners. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

 

“Oh, that was Theo’s mom. She’s around the area pala so she’ll be here soon. Speaking of, would you mind watching Theo? I have to go to the restroom.”

 

“Not scared that I might whisk him away?” Salle asked when Neo stood up without waiting for his answer.

 

“Would you? Whisk him away, that is?” Neo countered, looking far too amused.

 

Salle sighed. “Of course not, dude.”

 

“That settles it then. And if you do run away with him, I wouldn’t know what would happen to you when his mother catches you,” He ruffled Theo’s hair before walking away.

 

Theo whined when his father left his view. “Where he go?” He turned to Salle with teary eyes.

 

Feeling himself panic internally, Salle forced a smile on his face to help soothe Theo’s nerves. “He’s just going to the restroom, kiddo, he’ll be back soon.” Seeing that what he said did nothing, Salle tried to direct his attention to something else. “Have you decided what you want?”

 

Theo perked up. “Yeah! Wan’ pancakes.”

 

“I thought you wanted Waffles?” Salle asked as they started going through the list.

 

“Wan’ pancakes now,” Theo made a show of 'reading' his menu before pointing out multiple items. “Wan’ all of those.”

 

“Uh, maybe you should just pick one since I’m not sure you can finish all of those, kid.”

 

Theo whined before stabbing his finger on the page. “Wan’ it.”

 

“Now, now, big boys don’t whine, right?” A voice spoke up from behind them. Looking up, Salle’s eyes widened when he caught sight of Mia standing there with a small smirk on her face.

 

“W-what are you doing here? How’d you find me?” Salle demanded.

 

Mia waved him off before occupying the seat Neo recently vacated. “I’m not here for you, relax.”

 

Salle was about to speak up once more but was stopped by Theo’s shrieking. “Mommy!” He jumped into Mia’s arms and she caught him with ease.

 

“Hello, Teddy, did you miss me?” she asked, pressing kisses on his face. Theo giggled as he nodded.

 

“Missed you lots,” he told her.

 

“I bet I missed you more,” she teased.

 

Theo shook his head. “No! Missed you more.”

 

Mia laughed and nodded, “Of course, of course.”

 

“What the fuck,” Salle blurted out.

 

Looking away from Theo, Mia stared at him disapprovingly. “Language, Salle.”

 

"You do know that with both of us here there'll be a bigger chance that people might spot us right?" Salle looked out the windows to check if he was right.

 

Mia rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat so she was mostly facing Theo. "Our managers fixed some sort of meet up outside the shoot area and told the people there that I was ill and you were taking care of me so we'll be fine." 

 

"Like hell I'll take care of you when you're sick."

 

Heaving a sigh, Mia rolled her eyes once more. Salle couldn't help but think that her eyes might get stuck that way with how much she'd been doing it. "It's an excuse, Salle, so shut it."

 

Salle was about to bite out a retort when another voice sounded out. "Oh, you're here already." It was Neo. Salle looked at him, bug-eyed, but Neo paid him no mind as he signaled for a waiter. He pulled out the chair next to Salle and sat down.

 

“You didn’t tell me you’ve met Salle,” Mia spoke out.

 

“Huh?” Neo looked dumbfounded. “I haven’t.”

 

“Neo, you left Teddy with him, what are you talking about?”

 

Neo stared at Mia before turning his gaze to Salle. It was a few moments before he spoke again. He looked sheepish when he said, “I never caught your name.”

 

Mia sighed across from them and shook her head. “Idiots, the both of you.”

 

***

 

Salle watched as Mia hugged Theo tight and kissed his cheeks before buckling him in. Neo was standing next to him, a soft smile on his face. Salle nudged him gently with his elbow to catch his attention. “Thanks for lunch, dude. Theo’s a sweetheart.”

 

Neo looked proud when he replied, “he’s amazing, isn’t he?”

 

Salle nodded his assent. “He is. You and Mia are lucky to have him.”

 

“We are, really,” Neo smiled at him. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Salle.”

 

Feeling the blush on his cheeks, Salle turned away. “I could say the same.”

 

They stood in silence for a few moments before it was broken by Mia who approached them. “Is he asleep?” Neo asked.

 

“Yeah, just dropped, really. He must be tired. You’ll be fine getting back to your house?” She replied. “I could come with you, help out a bit.”

 

Neo gathered her in a hug, rubbing her back all the while. He pulled back before kissing her cheek. “Theo and I will be fine, M. You have to get back right? We wouldn’t want to keep you.”

 

“You wouldn’t be keeping me really. I can always continue tomorrow.” Mia insisted.

 

“You’re always free to come over, Mia. Really, finish your shoot then you can come and see Theo, I wouldn’t hide him from you, you know that.” Salle’s brow furrowed at Neo’s words but he kept quiet, knowing it wasn’t any of his business.

 

Mia frowned, crossing her arms. “Fine. But be prepared, I’m going there no matter what time we finish.”

 

Neo huffed out a chuckle. “Yes, ma’am. I should get going.” He hugged Mia once more before turning to Salle. For the first time in the few hours that they’ve known each other, Neo looked unsure of himself. Deciding to make things easier for him, Salle extended his hand out for a handshake.

 

“It was nice meeting you and Theo,” Salle offered. Neo took his hand and shook it briefly, a look of disappointment flitting on his face.

 

“I could say the same about you.” Neo smiled before letting go. He waved at them before climbing into his car. Salle and Mia watched as he started it then drove away.

 

“In all the years that we’ve known each other, you never told me you were married, why is that?” Salle asked with an eyebrow raised.

 

“Because I’m not,” was Mia’s retort. Salle watched her smoothen out her dress before walking off. He grumbled as he jogged to catch up to her.

 

“What’d you mean by that? What’s Neo then? Theo’s babysitter?”

 

“He’s Teddy’s dad,” Mia informed him as they entered the mall once more.

 

“But he’s not your husband?”

 

“Don’t you think twenty-four’s too young? Why would I have a husband?” Her tone was clipped, indicating she didn't want to talk about it but Salle was nothing if not persistent.

 

“Why would you have a child then?”

 

Mia glared at him and Salle had to toughen up so he wouldn’t wither under her gaze. They stayed like that for quite some time, and Salle was glad that Mia gave in seconds before he did. She sighed and led him to a coffee shop, the same one he entered earlier.

 

“You’re so nosy,” Mia gritted out after they got their drinks and chose where to sit.

 

“I’m one of your best friends and you told me jackshit about this, Mia,” Salle bit out.

 

“Excuse you, I told you about Teddy.”

 

“You mean _Theodore,_ your child with Neo?”

 

Mia sighed and took a sip before placing her cup on the table. “Fine, fine,” she uttered out but made no move to say more.

 

“So?”

 

“We—Neo and I—we messed around when we were in college,” she started. “We were always careful, of course, since having a child wasn’t in the plan, until we messed up one day.”

 

“Awesome, wow. I sure did get a lot from that. You should really start your own book, Mia, who knows you might win an award with how great you tell stories,” Salle said sarcastically.

 

“Oh shut up, you didn’t let me finish, jerkface.”

 

“Go on then, continue,” he waved his hand and motioned for her to do so.

 

Mia rolled her eyes and Salle did the same if only to piss her off more. “I got pregnant in our senior year, and Neo, bless him, didn’t leave. Although considering the fact that I knew where he lived and that our parents were close friends, I’m guessing he didn’t really have a choice. I wanted to terminate it, since we were too young and we wanted to do so many things… but Neo, well, even though he told me that it was my decision, I felt that he didn’t want me to go through with it.”

 

Getting impatient, Salle butted in, “and you obviously didn’t.”

 

“I didn’t, yeah.”

 

“But?”

 

“Well, if you would let me finish instead of cutting me off you would know by now, wouldn’t you?”

 

“It’s because you’re such a slowpoke, I’m not getting any younger, woman,” Salle took a sip of his drink and made a face when the coffee scalded his tongue.

 

Mia sighed and pinched her nose. “I won’t continue if you keep butting in, Salle.”

 

Salle held up his hands in surrender. “Shutting up,” He mimed zipping his mouth closed and throwing away the key.

 

“I went through with it, obviously. It wasn’t easy by any means but I had a great support system, but even then, there were some complications and I had to give birth early.”

 

“And then?”

 

Mia glared.

 

“Ugh, fine,” Salle groaned.

 

“I love Teddy, of course, but I wanted to do a lot of things, modeling was one of them, and I knew that it would be impossible to do that when I have a kid with me so I left.”

 

“You left?” Salle asked in disbelief. “Just like that?”

 

She glanced down as she fiddled with her hands, a guilty expression on her face. “I left while Neo was saddled with the responsibility to care for our child. It was wrong of me, yeah, but you have to understand—”

 

“Understand what? That you basically fucked the guy over and left to make a name for yourself? Wow, M, you should receive an award for best mother of the year.”

 

“I get it, okay? It was shitty of me to do so but I was young and selfish back then,”

 

“Seeing as I’m always with you and it’s the first time in years that you’ve come back to the Philippines, I’m pretty sure you’re still selfish, Mia. Fucking, so what the fuck did Neo do? When you left?”

 

“He was fine!” Seeing Salle’s doubtful look, Mia continued. “Really! We both finished college and now he’s helping his dad with their company. And I think he's writing on the side, I'm not quite sure.”

 

Salle leaned back in his seat. “Shit, M, I love you but that’s fucked up.”

 

“You don’t have to remind me of how shitty it was, Salle, because I've been living with my actions for years now if you hadn't noticed.” She frowned as she looked out the window.

 

“So? You came back, are you gonna marry him now?”

 

Turning to him, Mia made a face. “Dear God, no. I love Neo but he and I agreed long ago that we were never meant to be together like that. And I have a girlfriend, anyway, so it wouldn’t really work out.”

 

“But what about Theo?”

 

“What about Teddy?”

 

“Don’t you want to give him a happy family?”

 

“Geez, Salle, we can do that without ending up together. I never knew you were so old-fashioned,” Mia teased.

 

“I’m not!” He protested. “I’m just saying stupid shit because I’m still processing what you said,”

 

“You said stupid shit even before I told you about this,” Mia pointed out, a smirk on her face.

 

“Hey!”

**Author's Note:**

> More to come! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter :)  
> I'll edit this when my pain meds have worn off woooo  
> come say hi on [twitter](http://twitter.com/bloooie) :)


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